Potato-sorter.



J.4 & M. KRENTZ.

POTATO SORTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I0, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. & M. KRENTZ.

POTATO SORTER.

APPucATfoN FILED FEB.10. 1914.

1,156,786. Patented oct. 12, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1. & M. VKRENTZ.

POTATO SORTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. l0. 1914.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WMM/temes CoLUMBm PLANOURAPH co.. WASHING-rml, D. c.

AJ. & M. KRENTZ.

POTATO SORTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 1914.

1,156,786. Patented oet. 12, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

v CDLUMUM PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. c:4

- TED STATES @FF fJoHiv Kimura(ANDAMABTiiv'KRENTa, oF wiisrriniinerwisooirsiir.

' "PoTATo-soRTER.

To all fw hom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN KRENTZ and.

MARTIN KRENTZ, i citizens of the- United States, residing at lVestfield, Ii111' the State of Wisconsin, have invented 4certain new, and usefulmprovements in lotato-Sorters; and

we do hereby declare the'following to bev a form a part of this specification..

This invention relates to vegetable sorters, and more'particularly to that class of ma:- chines adapted'for the so-rting of potatoes;

The primary object of this'invention is tov Y provide a potato sorter ladapted to be efflvments of a potato sorter as hereinafter deoperation.

cient, easy of operation, and cheap to manufacture. l r f A further objectV of this invention is to power and Working parts, thusreducing `the cost of operationa'nd Vith these and other objects in view this inventionconsists in the peculiar arrangement and combination :of the various elescribed and more particularly set forth in the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings forming a p0rtion of this specification in which similar reference numerals designate similar partsv wherever used, Figure l isa side elevation of the device, Fig. 2 is a central vertical section, Fig. 3 is a top view with the power platform removed, Fig. 4 is an end vertical elevation.

A plurality of base bars 4, 5, and 6 support longitudinal members 7 and 8 v(only one of which is shown in the drawing). Mounted upon. the longitudinal members are a number of uprights 9, 10, and 11, braced by means of cross beams 12, 13, and I14. VThe cross beam 14 is adaptedr to support the source of power for the o-peration of the machine, in the drawings illustrated as an internal combustion engine 15, having a fly wheel 16. The vertical members 12, 13, and 14, and the other parts of the framework are bolted together to form a rigid structurev sufficient to stand strain. A lateral meminsuring efficiency of specification of Letters Patent rateiitefioct. 12,1915. Appucationaiearebruary 10,1914. seiiaiivo.317,819.v f-

ber 17l is secured to; the endv4 upright Y11. Between the crossbeains l12 and the-base bars 7 -and 8A are additional supports 18 carrying a lateral. bar 19. Mounted upon the memberv 10, 10 f andV this lateral member arefinoi'able with the eyes and which are secured to and movably supporta screen box 26-comprising an upper chamber 27'in'comfmunication with the hopper 20,and having, Vapportion -ofits floor 2.8`cutaway .and awire f Y cloth' 29`of large mesh inserted inthe cut out portion. The upper chamber H27 terminates" .in an `inclined spout 30 provided-'with a lip31.. 1;.. e

Below the boX or'chamber 27 is a'second chamber 32, secured thereto. by angle' irons 33. The v'floor' of thechamber 32vis' wire cloth 34 of relativelyfiner. mesh than the wire 29,.'3 The end ofthe boX or .chamber 32 isprovided with va hopper .spout 'The spout 30 ofthe upper chamber 27 forms the lend'of the boX V32.

f `Secured across the b`oXj26` is a'memberf36 carryingy a shaft '37 having a split ring bearing 38'thereon'which engages ail-eccentric'shaft 39,the purpose f which will/be hereinafter described. j Y f `Carried "by bearings on the `members-'13 and 18'are rollers'40,"41"which have an endless belt 42fthe entire width ofthe machine, and provided with cleats 43 thereon. p

A roller 44 mounted between the forward uprights 9 carries a conveyer 45 comprising a wide belt provided with cleats 46 padded with cloth or other similar material 47 rto prevent bruising the potatoes. HThe conveyer 45 is supported at its outer high end in .any suitable manner preferably by legs 48 carrying a cross beam 50V having a roller 51 thereonwhich engages the outer. end Vof the conveyer belt and is supported lby bearings 52 and 53.

Powerl is vsupplied to the device as follows z-The lower roller 40 is provided with a large -pulley wheel 54 and the eccentric shaft 39 is similarly provided with a pulley wheel 55. The conveyer roller 44 is also provided with a'large pulley wheel 56 similar to 54 and 55.. A belt 57 is passed over iio the fly wheel 16 and thence to the underside of the wheel 54 and upwardly over the wheel 55 to an idler pulley 58, then into eni' p gagement with wheel 56, afterward passing under an idler 59 to the wheel 16, formingy an endless belt. n

The operation of the apparatus is asV follows: The potatoes or other vegetables to be sorted are poured into thehopper 20 whereV they fall downwardly through the opening` 21 into the boX 27. The gas engine 15 having-its flywheel 16 rotating in a counter clockwise direction, causes, by means of the belt 57, a clockwise rotation of the pulleyV wheel 54 transmitting motion to the endless' Ybelt 42. Similarly the pulley wheel 55 receives a counter clockwise impulse actuating the crank eccentric 38 and the rod 37,`there by oscillating the screening boX 26. vThe belt 57 impartsa counter clockwise movement to the wheel 56, thus operating the conveyer 45.

- The-shaking motion of the boX 26 causes the potatoes to be fed to the lower inclined Y Y end of the boX, the smaller potatoes falling through. the wire mesh screen 29 into the lower chamber 32. lThe large potatoes move.

- outwardlyto the spout 30, and out over the lip 31 onto the conveyer 45 which is in communication with a wagon, car, or. the like, which is provided to receive the first grade potatoes. As above stated, the small potatoes will fall through the mesh 29 into the lower'boX 32, where the larger of the smaller any suitable point where there may be located aY refuse holder whichis noty illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The larger potatoes Yin the second boX 32 are gradually shaken downwardly until they reach the, spout .35, when they drop through into a receptacle 5S which is provided for the purpose.

twwill thus be seen that this machine is capable of grading potatoes or other vegetables of similar size and shape into three different grades; namely the first grade which passes from the box 27 out upon the spout 30 and upon the conveyer 45; a second grade which isdeposited in the receptacle 58; and a third grade which, if desired, may be separated rfrom the refuse caught by the belt 42.

We realize that considerable variation of the details of this invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof, and it is not our intention to limit ourselves to the specific embodiment illustrated herein, but to construe the claimas broadly as the state ofthe prior art'will permit.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by United States'LettersPatent, is

lnk a vegetable sorter, the combination with a hopper, of a shaking-screen below said hopper, said screen of relatively large mesh, a second screen below the first mentioned screen and in vcommunication therewith, the second screen being of smaller mesh, a downwardly and upwardly extending discharge spout on said` rst mentioned screenv and closing the lower end of the chamber between the screens, a framework, means for pivotally supporting said screens on the framework, means for shaking said screen and means for receiving the material discharged from said screens.y

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to Vthisspeciication in the presence of subscribing witnesses. v

JOHN KRENTZ. MARTIN KRENTZ.

Witnesses: v

JOHN A. CONANT, G. J. SoHwARK, J. O. MoRTENsoN, TOM KALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. v 

